There are some sayings which fit the bill exactly, especially when it comes to people who you meet and converse with. I’ve often heard things like The lights are on, but no one is home or The elevator doesn’t go right to the top, used to refer to people who are less able to think things through or have a lower intelligence level than others. I’ve always understood what is meant, but never really come across anyone who meets the necessary criteria. Until this afternoon.

We were in the bus, on our way home after an enjoyable day out in Bremen. The bus arrived in Brinkum, a small town on the edge of Bremen, where a special day had been arranged in the center for shoppers and festival goers to spend a few hours. All the shops were open, there were masses of people milling around, despite the threat of rain, and the main street was completely blocked off. The bus had to drive into the bus terminal, turn, and then drive back out the way it had come and take a different road to get to the next stop. Hard to oversee, since there were red lights and barriers right across the roadway.

Or, maybe not so easy to see. As we drove back out of Bremen, back the way we had come, a young woman rushed forward to the bus driver and demanded to know where he thought he was going. Doesn’t this bus go to, wherever it was she wanted? Why isn’t he following the normal route?

Since the driving along this road was clearly unfeasible I consider the answer from the driver more than just amusing. He said:

I forgot my coffee at Starbucks, we have to go back again.

Sadly this didn’t seem to register with the young woman, who was incredibly flustered and wanted to get out right away and walk the remaining few miles home. Fortunately the driver was able to calm her down, say that the forgotten coffee was just a joke, and point out that the road was clearly blocked. She hadn’t registered the barriers and many, many red lights at all.

Sometimes there are good reasons to wonder why some people breathe our oxygen. Clearly, she was more the lampshade than a glowing lightbulb.